Take some contrasting 1/4"-thick material that's roughly 2" longer than your side panels and slice 1/8"-wide strips from the edge to fit the grooves. For safety reasons, make these cuts so that the narrow strips fall to the waste side of the blade. Be sure to use a zero-clearance insert in your tablesaw to prevent the wood slices from dropping down through the blade opening. Although this technique requires you to reposition the fence after each slice, it's much safer than working with the fence set 1/8" away from the blade. The way I did it here, there's no chance the thin inlay strips can get dangerously trapped between the fence and the blade.
I made my inlay a little on the fat side to start with, then I taped the ends to the bench and lightly sanded the sides with 100-grit sandpaper wrapped around a wood block to achieve a perfect fit. If you bevel the edge slightly as you sand, the strips are easier to install without gaps.
Using a sharp utility knife, cut the strips to final length with 45ยบ mitres on adjoining ends. Apply a little glue to the bottom and sides and press the inlay into the slots. Lightly tap them into place with a wood mallet if a little extra persuasion is required. After the glue dries, scrape or sand the excess material protruding from the slots until the inlay sits flush with the box sides.
Make multiples: Turn your shop into a gift-making factory
This box is the type of project that can be produced in large quantities if you have many wine connoisseurs on your holiday shopping list. I recommend that you build one box from start to finish as a prototype before shifting into high-production gear. After all, you don't want to wait until the parts for all your boxes are ready for assembly before finding out the bottles won't fit.
Read more in Woodworking Projects and Furniture Plans
0 Comment